I will list 3 essential skills that all nurses need for better nursing and to prevent burnout. Many nursing schools seem to be lack teaching some of these skills that could make a nurseing profession easier and more rewarding. Did you know, that two questions can save you from burnout. The same two questions can build trust between you, the patient, the patients family or the attending doctor.

Here is a list of 3 essential communication skills that you need to enjoy your job, make your job easier and to enjoy communication with the people that you come in contact with.

1 Self Empathy Skills:

Self empathy is an understanding of what YOU may be experiencing in a moment. It is also a proactive communication not reactive. Self empathy will help you to enjoy your job more and also keep you from burnout. This is a skill that you do before you go to work and during those trying times of stress, confusion and maybe even when anger develops. IT is your emotional first aid and also a technique that will help you build a positive intention before going to work. The beauty of this skill, is it only takes seconds. It is not meditation, yet can be much faster bringing focus, joy and calm in seconds.

2: Empathy skills:

For this discussion empathy is a deep understanding of what someone may be experiencing.It could be the patient, the patients family, your peers, or the attending doctor’s. One motto that you may want to use is “empathy before education”. We have been brought up to educate before really understanding another. Using empathy skills, we want to understand before we educate someone. This can also be called fix-it language and happens many times. When we are hurried, stressed, or in pain from what we are hearing from the other person, we use this dysfunctional language..

When we offer someone empathy our energy builds, the other person’s energy builds, and there is a connection developed between both people. This develops trust. If we offer someone a story or education, advice or even sympathy, we can lose the connection with them quickly, and lose their trust.

3: Expressing Honestly:

Without this skill burnout is probable. If we cannot express ourselves honestly and with compassion, any stress or anger we have, will build up until we blow up. If we can express ourselves honestly and functionally without using blame, shame, guilt or fear, our energy will build and trust will also build with the other person. Again we are using proactive communication skills, not dysfunctional.

These are three essential skills that one needs to be able to function in a stressful nursing job. Without these skills you will probably be heading for burnout instead of a profession that can be lucrative, emotionally and physically. It is your choice to learn these skills or risk physical and emotional challenges.